Why the Los Angeles Lakers say yes to this trade:
Before even getting into Turner, let’s expand some more on Talen Horton-Tucker. While THT is absolutely valuable and does have a lot of potential, he is not someone who is going to be the third or even fourth-best player on the Lakers in the next 2-3 years. He is young and will continue to grow but it is a long-term commitment.
THT may not be the player Laker fans think he is until his next contract and that is not even a guarantee. Combine the fact that he could theoretically just sign with another team this offseason and price the Lakers out and it becomes more apparent that the Lakers should trade him if the price is right.
The price is right with Turner because of what he brings to the table. Turner is exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need out of a center and would absolutely be the third-best player on the team.
Turner checks the basic boxes. He is an elite rim protector and is a solid rebounder. He averaged 3.4 blocks and 6.5 rebounds per game last season. The rebounding numbers are a bit lower than other centers but that is just fine when you also have Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the frontcourt.
Turner can score at the rim and be on the receiving ends of LeBron’s lobs but can also stretch the floor a bit as well. He has a decent mid-range game and has been stretching out to three. He is not an elite three-point shooter by any means but he has to be respected from three as a career 35.2% shooter.
More importantly, Turner does not cost an arm and a leg money-wise and allows the Lakers to make other moves, such as a big Dennis Schroder sign-and-trade or whatever the case may be. He is the perfect target for the Lakers so it makes sense to trade the three most valuable assets the Lakers have.